The Greatest Risk
by MixedBreedMaiya
Summary: "And...what is 'this moment,' exactly?" "The most important moment of my life. The greatest risk...for the greatest reward." [Raine/Regal headcanon installment.]


Hi everyone! Thanks for reading the latest installment of my R&R headcanon. I'm enjoying writing these little snapshots, and I certainly hope you enjoy reading them, too. If you like what you see, I urge you to consider leaving me a review. It's always nice to get some feedback!

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"So, I've come to the conclusion that you are extraordinarily...lucky."

One eyebrow arched, she turned her head to look down at her adolescent companion as they walked side-by-side along the paved walkways. He had his hands shoved down into his pockets and his eyes straight ahead with a would-be contemplative expression on his face that didn't even try to hide the underlying cheek. She still had some height on him, but he was catching up. Every day looking less like the little boy she had taught to walk, but he'd always be her little brother.

"Am I?" she mused. "Why is that, exactly?"

"Well, you live in a ritzy ocean resort, sis."

She snorted, returning her eyes frontward. "I wouldn't call that 'lucky,' under the circumstances."

"What's _lucky _is that you have a devoted, selfless, understanding brother who is willing to leave the comforts of his school, cross into another country, and trek across the vast ocean in order to come to you, all so you don't have to go anywhere. You can stay here with your cushy life and your sappy boyfriend and never go near a drop of water while I do all the work, 'cause I'm just that considerate and lovable."

The sidelong glower she shot him to meet the impertinence in his own carried with it a spark of good humor. He had always had a mouth on him, but as he got older and began to establish a place of his own in the world, he got away with a little more. At least sometimes. It was still hard to look at him and not see the boy she had raised, the boy she had to take care of and protect and never let out of her sight. But he was growing up, they were on different paths, countries apart, living...relatively normal lives. Very relatively, all things considered, but still.

She was lucky. And not just because of his "selfless devotion" in the face of "vast oceans." She was lucky for a lot of reasons. Maybe they both were.

Raine shook her head and reached over to fix his hair with a maternal touch she hadn't yet shaken before letting her hand drop back to her side. "Lovable," she echoed. "That's one word. ...But yes. I am glad you came."

Genis laughed and linked his own hands behind his head. "Don't get too emotional or anything. After getting a surprise visit and spending a whole day with me, that's really the best you can do?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'll try to muster more enthusiasm. What _was _the reason for that 'surprise visit,' by the way? You didn't give me any kind of warning that you even wantedto come."

"Well, yeah. That's kind of the meaning of a surprise. Can't I be impulsive now and then?"

"You can, but you don't. I'm used to at least getting a letter before you show up."

He shrugged. "Nah. I had a break coming up and didn't feel like staring at a wall for a week. I love the work, but I could use a fancy, all-expense-paid vacation, too. Your love life has its perks." Genis beamed. It was nice to see him in such high spirits, even if she did avert her eyes. This, of course, didn't escape his notice – which meant _she _couldn't escape the subject.

He nudged her from the side. "Speaking of which," he practically purred, "where is lover boy?"

"If you're referring to Regal, I would assume he's at the company as he is every day," she replied evenly.

"You sure about that?"

Raine blinked and turned her head to lift an eyebrow at him. "...Shouldn't I be?"

He wasn't looking at her, but the grin was still there. "I d'know. He's _your _boyfriend. You'd know better than I would."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Genis," she said in a low warning tone. "What are you up to?"

"Up to? Please. If I were up to something, I'd be pulling it off so well you wouldn't suspect a thing. You're so paranoid."

With one hand she reached out and took his arm and brought both of them to a halt. She rounded on him and folded her arms over her chest, and her voice flattened. "All right, out with it."

Again, he laughed. "I'm serious!"

"And Colette is graceful."

"Oh, ouch. Come _on_, Raine." He linked his arm with hers and started walking again, tugging her along with him despite the lingering _look _she had trained on him. "I'm starving, and it's getting late. What do you say we go back to the house and get some food? Regal's probably going to be back soon, and I'd love to show him up in the kitchen."

She rolled her eyes again but eventually fell into a normal stride beside him. He was still hiding something, she was well aware. She just had no idea what it was – nor could she ever have imagined.

As they reached the duke's home, Raine noticed her brother peering toward a window, and she opened her mouth to question him again there at the door. She didn't get a chance, though. Genis released her arm and slapped his forehead.

"Ah, man. I just remembered – I brought you those books you wanted from the library, but I left them back at the hotel."

Raine frowned and turned to face him as he backed away a step. "Wh—now?" she asked incredulously, but his back was already toward her and he gave half a wave over his shoulder.

"I'll be right back!"

She was left standing there at the door, blinking after him and wearing an odd expression. He wasn't running but rather...sauntering, his hands once more clasped behind his head, and she watched until he had turned a corner and gone out of sight. Only then did she give her head a shake and reach out to open the door. Paranoid indeed. But once inside, she stopped dead again.

The house was dim, lit by candles alone if the dancing shadows were any indication. On a stand near the door was a single rose, sitting atop a slip of paper that had her name ornately scrawled on it. The smell of food filled the silent room as she gingerly picked up the rose and crept further inside. "...Regal...?" she called softly, as if afraid to shatter the soft ambiance. _What in the world...?_

From the dining room, out stepped the duke himself, dressed head to toe like a refined gentleman. He had his hair braided, bangs pushed back from his forehead, and there was an easy smile on his face. "Raine." One hand resting behind his back, he extended the other one as she came toward him, looking around almost warily.

"What is all of this?"

Regal picked up her hand when she was close enough, bowed a little, and touched her knuckles to his lips. "Come," he beckoned, leading her through the living room and back into the dining room, where was laid out a very elegant table. Another tall candle sat in the center of that table, while several more adorned the corners of the room in crystalline holders.

"You clearly didn't go to the company this morning."

He chuckled and released her hand to pull out her chair, which – after a hesitation – she lowered herself into. "I did not," he agreed. "There was a great deal to do, and I wasn't sure how long your brother could keep your attention and get you out of the house."

Well, that explained the strange behavior at least. Genis had been on a mission from the start – a mission to distract her. And while she usually fancied herself astute and ahead of the game, she could very confidently say she was taken by surprise. "Long enough, apparently... What's the occasion?"

His smile never faded, but he merely gave his head a gentle shake and vanished into the kitchen to return shortly afterward with dinner in hand. "Do I need an 'occasion,'" he asked as he set one plate down in front of her, "to do something for you?"

"There's 'doing something,' and then there's...this." Raine set the rose down on the table and gestured around at the setting. "This is quite an undertaking."

"And one I'm very happy to have _undertaken_." His smile was soft and playful as he set down the other plate. "Ah." Regal straightened and snapped his fingers. "I do, however, have something for you."

She blinked again and settled into a frown when he turned to pick something up from a nearby stand. "...Should I be worried?" asked Raine, her tone dry. "Have you done something stupid I should know about?" They weren't exactly the picture of a normal couple, but it certainly fit the stereotype of an apology. Romantic dinner, presents? _Something _was going on.

He laughed as he came back toward her with a rectangular parcel in his hands that was bound with a neatly-tied ribbon. "Not that I can recall, but I suppose you would be the better judge of that."

She hummed ambiguously, though she still looked rather suspicious. Maybe a little flustered, too, with the surprise of what appeared to be what Sheena referred to as "date night," but the conspiracy between her brother and Regal had her peering dubiously up at him even as she accepted the gift into her own hands. It looked and felt like a book, but she scarcely glanced at it before setting her narrowed eyes back on the man who still had yet to stop smiling. There was even amusement in his face. "What areyou two up to?"

"Nothing nefarious, I can assure you."

"Why am I not convinced?"

"Because you, my dear," he informed her softly as he bent down to place his head next to hers from behind now, "are extraordinarily perceptive and exceedingly brilliant." Regal touched a kiss to her cheek and added, impishly, "But you're also paranoid." Before she could reply to the second round of such an accusation, he had straightened up and eased her chair back toward the table. "Now, I happen to know you've not eaten, so what do you say we just enjoy a quiet dinner together, hm?"

Raine just watched him in silence, one eyebrow arched. She had even set aside the gift and folded her arms over her chest. Again, he laughed. "I promise I will answer any question you have – after dinner. All right?"

"So there are answers to be had."

"Goddess Martel, Raine." Regal shook his head, still amused. "Would you please just eat? I worked rather hard on this meal, and I would prefer it be enjoyed warm."

After another few seconds of eyeing him, she finally sighed and shook her own head, reaching for the fork next to her plate. "...All right. Fine."

Despite her misgivings and doubts about motives, Raine couldn't deny that it was a nice idea. Quite honestly, he had been busy at the office for the past few weeks. Their time alone together had been a little limited, and she was far from needy or unable to entertain herself, but sometimes she missed his company. So this, while a surprise and, frankly, conspicuous, was sweet if nothing else. Still, she may have been paranoid, as both claimed, but she wasn't stupid, and even while they ate and conversed, she kept an eye on him just as he acted like nothing was out of the ordinary.

When they were finished, she wasted no time opening her mouth to demand the promised answers – but she didn't get a chance. Before she could say a word, he had stood and come to get her chair again. "Come into the sitting room."

"What's in the sitting room?" she asked on a sidelong glance.

"The sofa. Come." Regal took her hand and drew her up to her feet. He did reach around her to retrieve the gift she'd left on the table. This he held onto until he had led her to the sofa and sat them both down on it. There, he handed the package to her again. "Open it."

"What happened to answering my questions?"

His eyes glinted with mirth, but there was something secretive in the corner of his mouth. "I am a man of my word. Open it," he encouraged again. "It won't bite."

Raine shook her head again, heaved a silent sigh, and then slid her finger beneath a flap of the wrapping. When she had eased the paper off and set it aside, her brow shot up again. It was a book, as she had predicted, but the title had her holding back a snort: _Etiquette of the Tethe'allan Aristocracy_.

Etiquette? Aristocracy? Either he was pulling a joke on her, or he had seriously misjudged her character.

"Please tell me this is meant to be ironic." She looked up at him with incredulity on her face.

Another deep laugh, and he rose from the couch. "Don't you like it? Your brother tracked it down in Sybak for me."

"Is this your way of saying you're embarrassed of me?"

His smile widened. "Never. I just thought it might come in handy."

"As what, a paperweight?" she grunted.

"Would you like some tea?" asked Regal, as if nothing at all were wrong with this picture. He started toward the kitchen without waiting for an answer, though he did wave a hand vaguely toward the book. "If nothing else, it has quite an intriguing inscription inside. You ought to read that at least." And then he was gone, vanished in search of tea.

Raine was left sitting there, blinking. She looked from the doorway through which he had disappeared down to the tome in her lap and back again. Finally, with another sigh, the admittedly curious woman cracked it open and looked toward the inside cover. What she found made her expression twist in puzzlement.

_Follow me,_ it said. And it was in _his _handwriting; she'd recognize it anywhere.

Her frown deepeming, she looked back toward the kitchen. Follow? He was obviously playing a game, which was something new. But that curiosity ultimately got the best of her, and she slowly set the book on the cushion beside her and then rose to her feet. "Okay," she murmured, narrowing her eyes. "I'll bite."

It was no secret he was a romantic, but this was...bizarre.

There was some caution in her steps as she traced his own, inching toward the kitchen as if something might be about to jump out at her. Thankfully it wasn't her birthday, or that might not be such a farfetched notion.

"All right. I can only assume _tea _is not what awaits me," she announced dryly as she turned the corner and entered the room. "So what..." Words died on her lips when she saw him standing there, hands behind his back and a calm, easy, affectionate smile on his face. He was watching her so intently. She turned her head to look at him sideways again. "What?"

"I thought for a moment you wouldn't take the bait."

"The...bait."

"That would have been a shame. I've waited some time for this moment."

"\And...what is 'this moment,' exactly?"

"The most important moment of my life. The greatest risk...for the greatest reward."

There in front of her, before she could say anything else, he steadily went to one knee and drew his hands into view, revealing the little box, and the ring inside.


End file.
